No One Hurt in VC Fire

July 23, 2012

Firefighters wait outside this apartment building at 676 11th Ave. SW in Valley City until the Valley City Fire Department announced a small fire in a lower-level apartment was out. The fan near the building entrance waits until firefighters use it to draw smoke from the fire out of the building.

No one was hurt in a small fire in apartment at 676 11th Ave. SW at about 5:30 p.m. Thursday, said Valley City Fire Chief Gary Retterath.
Retterath said the fire started in and was confined to a bedroom closet in the apartment occupied by Rose Anderson and two children.

As of Friday, Retterath said he didnâ€™t know what caused the fire. â€śThere was no structural damage â€“ just some smoke. Fortunately they (the Anderson family) heard the smoke detector and put it out. It was moderate smoke â€“ not real heavy.â€ť

Retterath said the apartment residents have been advised to stay elsewhere â€śfor a couple of daysâ€ť to give the smoke smell a chance to lessen. â€śThey took some burnt clothes out of the closet.â€ť

Retterath said the remainder of the two-story apartment building was not evacuated, and no smoke apparently made it into other apartments.
Several building residents waited for firefighters to sound the all clear on the shaded front lawn of the building to protect themselves from the hot sun and 90 degree temperatures.

Between 21 and 22 firefighters from the Valley City Fire Department responded, and were still on the scene at 6:30 p.m. when firefighters said it had been brought under control.